Empowerment
Jesus commissioned His disciples to reach the world with His message.
These were men who had probably never travelled more than a few hundred miles from the place of their birth. They were largely uneducated and poor. They lived as despised people under Roman oppression. They had given up everything to follow this man, Jesus, for the past three years and in the course of that time they had managed to offend the synagogue leaders, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Sanhedrin and even the Romans. Now they were told to travel throughout the world, with no visible means of support, spreading the good news of God’s salvation. God knew they could not reach the world without His empowerment and He promised them the Holy Spirit, who would work through them to achieve His plan:
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
Jesus did not promise His disciples clout or influence. Rather, He promised them “power” – the only resource they really needed in order to succeed at the job He had given them. By promising to supply what they needed to succeed, Jesus empowered His followers. He had spent three years educating these men to lead the church. Only at the point at which they could properly manage the resource did Jesus empower them. Jesus invested time and energy developing these leaders. Then He supplied what they needed to accomplish the task He had given them.
Christianity is not a set of regulations and instructions but a life-giving relationship with the person by whom and for whom we were created. It is a matter of God empowering us to be the people we were meant to be.
We cannot be the people we were created to be without being empowered by the Holy Spirit
In Romans 8, Paul makes it clear that apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, no one can please God: “The mind of sinful man is death….the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (vv. 6-8). Only when “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in [us]” (v. 11) does it become possible for us to live in ways that are pleasing to God.
Christianity is unique among all other world religions. It is not a works system of salvation or growth but a relationship based upon grace. The Spirit of Christ who lives in us fulfils God’s requirements, not by our own efforts but by His grace. Our assurance is not based on our own attainments but on the merits of Christ who intercedes for us (v. 34) and on the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit (vv.15-17). Instead of performance-based acceptance, those who trust in Christ experience the unconditional acceptance offered by the Father who sent His Son on our behalf.
Not only is Christianity unique among world religions, but our heavenly Father is also very different from the earthly fathers we observe. Many of us were raised in a context of performance-based acceptance. The love we receive in such environments is conditional, and children who receive conditional love often feel as if their best efforts are never quite enough. Growing up in such an environment can hinder us from being able to trust God to be a loving heavenly Father until our thoughts are renewed and our hearts opened to embrace the truth of God’s character.
God is not distant and disinterested, rather, He is intimately involved (Psalm 145:18, Isaiah 50:7-9). God is the lover of our souls (Romans 8:38-39; 1 Peter 2:25); He is kind and compassionate (Psalm 103:4; 2 Corinthians 1:3). He is accepting and filled with joy and love (Romans 15:7; Zephaniah 3:17; 1 John 4:8) and He is warm and affectionate (Deuteronomy 10:15; Psalm 117:2; Philippians 1:8). He is always eager to be with us (Zephaniah 3:17; James 4:8); He is a faithful Father who runs to meet us if we will turn toward Him, preparing a feast in our honour (Luke 15:11-31). He is loving, gentle and protective of us (Psalm 86:15; Isaiah 54:17). He is trustworthy and delights in giving us good gifts for a rich and abundant life (James 1:17; Philippians 4:19). Our God is full of grace and mercy (Hosea 11:8-9; Ephesians 2:4-5) and His will is good, pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2). He is tender hearted and forgiving (Psalm 86:5; Ephesians 1:7). His heart and His arms are always open to us (Jeremiah 29:11-14; Zechariah 1:3). We are His beloved sons and daughters and He is well pleased with us (Isaiah 43:4; 1 John 3:1; Psalm 41:11).
As if all this was not enough, God now empowers us to participate in something that will last forever: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15:16). I believe every heart yearns to accomplish something that will endure. If we give ourselves to temporal things, we will never live up to that desire. God, however, invites us to invest in eternal things. The only things of this world that are eternal are God’s Word and people. These two things will go on forever. As we invest God’s Word in people, loving and serving them with eternal values at heart with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, we are storing up treasure in heaven!